chocolate a l’ancienne (old-fashioned hot chocolate)

I may have gone on about how nice the hot chocolate that thomas made the other night was…

chocolate a l’ancienne

6 ounces of real dark chocolate

3 1/2 tablespoons creme fraiche

2 1/4 cups milk

1 tablespoon superfine sugar (optional)

2 tablespoons dark rum (Thomas used Brandy)

3 1/2 tablespoons cold espresso coffee

pinch of salt

To make the grated chocolate decoration, put the chocolate in the freezer for 2 hours to harden. Grate about 3/4 ounce with a sharp knife or a potato peeler.

Beat the creme fraiche with an electric mixer, until stiff but not butter! Chill until you are ready to serve the chocolate.

Finely chop the remaining chocolate and place in a saucepan with the salt and 3 1/2 tablespoons of water. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly; take great care that it does not burn or the flavour will be ruined. When the chocolate is smooth and shiny, stir in the milk and then the sugar, if using. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes: Be very careful, because the chocolate bubbles up and thickens rapidly. Stir in the rum and coffee, and boil 2 minutes longer. Beat the chocolate with a whisk to lighten.

When ready to serve, add a spoonful of the whipped creme fraiche and top with the grated chocolate. In the summer, this is delicious served chilled.